I am organising a Tudor day at a small museum and we'd like to have the cafe make some Tudor-themed food on the day. Can you make any suggestions?

At the same time, I'm always glad to hear of new ideas for hands-on activities that the volunteers can run (free-flowing family activities). It would be good to have some variety from the usual suspects of pomander-making etc...

There are lots of better people out there to advise on Tudor food, but a simple vegetable stew (- leaving out the tomatoes & potatoes!) served with chunks of bread, is known as pottage (pronounced to sound like cottage) and is the usual peasant food. Like a thick soup, with beans and carrots etc.

In terms of activities. some of the simple ones that I do for museums & schools that are easy enough to do without too many specialist tools, are using dried herbs & petals cloves, cinnamon, almost like a pot-pourri, which you can cut simple squares of fabric & get them to put a spoon full in the middle & tie with thread or ribbon, to hang in with clothes or drawers - a good one to do around mother's day!

Or if you have more time & facilities, you could use marzipan & food colourings & make marchpane fancies - a popular Tudor sweetmeat for the end of a meal, they used to have large centre table decorations as well as smaller ones to eat. Use dates & take the stone out & replace with a ball of marzipan - paint it to look like an eye! Or make petals & build up a Tudor rose. You have to be aware of nut allergy sufferers with this one.

Or you could get some wool threads & get them making simple braids - woven cords that would be used as fastenings on doublets and kirtles - if you visit the Living History Fayre in Warwickshire this weekend, you'll find Miel & Joan selling lucettes and braiding rings, http://www.livinghistoryfayres.com or if you look here: